Batman has not been seen for ten years. A new breed of criminal ravages Gotham City, forcing 55-year-old Bruce Wayne back into the cape and cowl. But, does he still have what it takes to fight crime in a new era?

There's a mystery afoot in Gotham City, and Batman must go toe-to-toe with a mysterious vigilante, who goes by the name of Red Hood. Subsequently, old wounds reopen and old, once buried memories come into the light.

Batman discovers a mysterious teen-aged girl with super-human powers and a connection to Superman. When the girl comes to the attention of Darkseid, the evil overlord of Apokolips, events take a decidedly dangerous turn.

Storyline

Two men come to Gotham City: Bruce Wayne after years abroad feeding his lifelong obsession for justice and Jim Gordon after being too honest a cop with the wrong people elsewhere. After learning painful lessons about the city's corruption on its streets and police department respectively, this pair learn how to fight back their own way. With that, Gotham's evildoers from top to bottom are terrorized by the mysterious Batman and the equally heroic Gordon is assigned to catch him by comrades who both hate and fear him themselves. In the ensuing manhunt, both find much in common as the seeds of an unexpected friendship are laid with additional friends and rivals helping to start the legend.Written by
Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

Technical Specs

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

Did You Know?

Trivia

Goofs

The DVD box says it only includes English, French and Spanish audio, but it also includes Thai audio as well. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Bruce Wayne:
Gotham City. Clean shafts of concrete and snowy rooftops. The work of men who died generations ago. From here, it looks like an achievement. From here, you can't see the enemy.
See more »

User Reviews

"Batman: Year One" is a direct-to-video animated film adapted from the graphic novel written by Frank Miller and illustrated by David Mazzucchelli with Richmond Lewis. The animated version of "Batman: Year One" is entirely faithful to Frank Miller's original comic book story to the point that differences are almost negligible. Only two minor scenes are missing and nothing is depicted out of order from the original. Some scenes are shortened and some are lengthened for the needs of telling a story on film, but everything that happens in the comic happens in the movie. A few minor scenes are also added. Be aware that this is not really a movie for children – some sexual situations and violence from the original comic book also appear here.

It is not expressed explicitly during the film, but it is likely that this film is set in the 1986/1987 (which was the time when the comic was published). The story follows the first year of Bruce Wayne's time as Batman. This is pretty much an origins story . The focus is very much on the parallel fates of Gordon and Wayne and the roots of their working relationship.

This is a dark , gritty and realistic vision of Batman. There are no costumed villains here (which many will find disappointing). Both Gordon and Batman have to fight against the mob and corrupted police. This is actually more of a Jim Gordon's story . His moral dilemmas feels real and overall it's very easy to care for him. On the other side the movie kinda fails to bring the same emotional connection for Bruce Wayne. I did cared for Wayne/Batman , but his emotional pain seems flat compared to the problems that Gordon is having.

This plot gives the film an accessible and realistic feel. Gotham city looks ordinary and there are no super gadgets here. Batman makes mistakes and he can be hurt very easily. There are some bad things here. Some of the important lines of dialogue were cut , the ones which explained main characters motivations . The final sequence with some supernatural free- running is kinda cheesy . The biggest problem here is however the subplot with Selina Kyle . The movie just like the original graphic novel doesn't really do anything with her. The subplot of her becoming Catwoman feels rushed. She really adds nothing film to advance the plot.

Bryan Cranston as detective James Gordon is simply great. There is a lot of subtle emotions hidden in the words he says. I admit that I was disappointed with Ben McKenzie's voice over as Batman/Bruce Wayne. His performance felt wooden and uninspired for me. The supporting cast is solid , especially Eliza Dushku as Selina Kyle/Catwoman , Katee Sackhoff as Sarah Essen and Fred Tatasciore as the corrupt Flass.

Overall , this is a solid and enjoyable movie that works as a tribute to one of the best graphic novels made. There are a few scenes and ideas that appear in "Batman: Year One" that also appear in Christopher Nolan's great "Batman Begins" (which was inspired heavily by "BYO"). If you liked Nolan's take on Batman , you should like this one too. I give it 7/10.

4 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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